AN: I know I said I need to slow my posting schedule down, and I do - but I'll do so after the NEXT chapter. So next chapter (16) will be out next weekend. It kind of a season finale type thing, so it makes more sense to slow down afterward. Plus, given where this chapter will leave off…I'm not THAT sadistic :P

The Academy grounds always gleamed a little brighter around graduation time. The old wooden platforms were polished, the pebbled yards neatly raked, each tree and shrub pruned and shaped to perfection. The whole process would be repeated just before the start of the next term, so that when the newest batch of students first entered the Shin'o Academy grounds, it imprinted itself on their minds as a sanctuary of study and reflection.

Six years ago, Kaede had stepped onto these grounds with a set of expectations: She'd learn to control her power. She'd finally meet some of her peers and maybe even make a real friend. After her studies, she'd graduate as a Shinigami and spend her existence guiding and protecting the souls of humans. She'd get to prove her worth and contribute to the greater whole of Soul Society. Back then, that was the highest hope she had.

Perhaps it was better that she was going to the Stealth Corps, where her focus would be more on Soul Society's inner workings than on guiding Souls. She wasn't sure she could ever perform konso with a clear conscience again, knowing that she was sending those Souls not to a restful paradise but a purgatory of further struggle.

We're going to change that, she reminded herself regularly. She and Sousuke would make Soul Society a far more just and balanced destination for those Souls, a place where they had the chance to rest and learn for the next part of their journey in the cycle. Everything they were doing was in preparation for that…even their upcoming marriage.

Part of her hated that when Urahara gave them his blessing, she'd been not only relieved, but honestly happy to have his approval. Like his opinion should matter when it came to possibly the only choice she got to make for herself in her entire life. Heck, marrying Sousuke was barely a real choice of hers; it was a contingency borne of necessity because people like Urahara and Central 46 insisted on controlling everything else about her.

But the decision was made. She had the necessary permission now, both from Urahara personally and, as of this morning, from Central 46. She and Sousuke would be registered as married before she started her official Stealth Corps training, and after she was finished with her first year in that division, they'd be living together.

Now she just had to break the news to Hiyori.

Kaede waited until after the Captains' visit to the Academy to do so. The blond was nervous enough about the event as it was, even if she adamantly denied it; Kaede didn't want to distract her further. In a way, she was glad for the excuse to put this off; she was far more anxious over how Hiyori would react to all of this than she had been about getting Urahara's approval.

Hiyori gave a bombastic performance. Never one to restrain herself, her Shikai demonstration almost literally blew the crowd away just from her released reiatsu; normally, stricter control was preferred, but Kaede could tell that the onlookers were awed by the immense power coming from such a petite package.

As they should be, she thought smugly.

Afterward, Hiyori gushed non-stop about the experience. "It was way easier than I thought it'd be! I just pretended that everyone in the crowd was baldy-Shinji, makin' faces at me an' all, and that was all I needed! Hey, I got a bunch o' calling cards for divisions too. We gotta show these off to that baldy, he was betting I wouldn't even get one! Now he's gotta pay up, ha!"

She fanned out the cards, each printed with a particular flower - the symbol of each Gotei division. "Let's see…oh, this one's Eleven, that's out…ooo, Twelve and Thirteen, we're definitely keeping those!"

Kaede's dread grew as the moment came closer. "Hiyori…"

"Hey, whaddya think about Nine? The captain seems like a hard-ass, but it might be okay. I think that annoying green-haired girl went there though - you know, the one in the year above us? Ugh, I'd probably strangle her in the first week…"

"Hiyori…we need to talk."

"Well, duh," Hiyori said. "We gotta figure out which of these we're goin' to-"

"That's-" Kaede swallowed. "That's the thing. It's…going to be your decision."

Hiyori blinked owlishly at her. "Yeah…I got the offers, but you got a say in this too, ya know."

"Actually…I don't." Kaede stopped walking and steeled herself. "Thing is…I'm being assigned to Division Two."

"Eh?" Hiyori shuffled through the cards. "That's not one of the…wait, whaddya mean, 'you're being assigned?'"

"I mean, it's out of my hands," she explained. "I…can't go with you."

For a few seconds, Hiyori just stared at her, mouth open in a puzzled expression. Kaede figured she might as well get the rest of this news dump over with. "Also…um…Sousuke and I are getting married."

Hiyori's eyes grew so wide they seemed ready to pop out of their sockets. "Ehhh?! What the actual fuck?!" The division cards flew out of her hands. "What the fuck is this shit?! We were supposed to pick a division together, but now you're tellin' me you're goin' to the fuckin' spy division and you're gettin' fuckin' married?! What the hell, Kaede!"

She stomped on one of the fallen cards. "You know what? Fine! Go be with your boyfriend or fiance or whatever an' go join the sneaky murder cult! See if I care!"

Kaede had expected Hiyori to be surprised at the news, righteously angry on her behalf, maybe pissed that she'd kept this to herself. There was nothing the blond could do to change the situation - that was why Kaede had waited to tell her at all. But this…just rejecting her, like this was something Kaede had planned all along…

"You think I asked for this?" Kaede snapped, her frustration and rage ready to boil over. "I never asked for any of this! You get to decide where you're going after today, but I've never been given a real choice in my life! The fact that I'm even alive isn't my decision, it's theirs! They decide everything about me, and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it!"

Hiyori looked completely taken aback, rendered speechless by this rare outburst. She knew the basics of Kaede's situation, but it wasn't something they talked about. The checkups were just something that made Kaede feel ill sometimes; the restrictions were a pain, but oh well. Everything to do with the Catastrophe existed in the background, but it had nothing to do with their friendship, so Hiyori didn't pay it much mind.

That friendship was something Kaede didn't want to let go of, even if Hiyori herself seemed ready to drop it.

"I didn't ask for this," she repeated, forcing herself to speak more calmly. "If I had my way, I'd be going to whatever division you wanted, because frankly, I don't give a damn which one it is as long as…as long as I don't have to be alone again."

Hiyori's eyes lowered, her whole body slowly sagging in resignation. She sank onto the ground, sitting back on her heels.

"But why do you gotta be gettin' married, too?" she asked in a small voice. "Why does everything gotta change all at once?"

Wait…was that what Hiyori was really upset about? Kaede almost kicked herself. Hiyori wasn't rejecting her; she was lashing out as she always did, especially when things changed unexpectedly. Kaede had been so caught up in her own frustration that she let herself assume the worst about her own best friend.

"I'm getting married so that I won't disappear in there," Kaede told the blond, settling down beside her. "It was Sousuke's idea, actually. By marrying him, we'd even get to live outside of our divisions' barracks. I'd be able to have a life outside of the Stealth Corps."

"I still don't like it."

"Me neither."

Hiyori side-eyed her. "Even the marriage part?"

"I mean…" She shrugged, trying to sort through her own thoughts. "It just made the most sense. I wouldn't have agreed to it if there was a better way. And it's not like we're having a ceremony or anything - we just register ourselves with a couple witnesses and move in together. Pretty easy, actually. We already got the permission sorted-"

"Wait, are you pregnant?"

"What?!" She blanched. "No! I'm not pregnant!"

"Hey, it's me," Hiyori said, rolling her eyes. "You don't gotta spin it to me or anything. If he knocked you up, just say so."

"He didn't - I am not knocked up!"

"You sure?"

"What, you think I don't know how that works? No, Hiyori, I am not pregnant. For the love of - we haven't even had sex…well, not like that, anyway…"

"Whoa!" Hiyori brought her hands up as though to block a strike. "Way too much info there!"

"You said not to 'spin it,'" Kaede pointed out dryly. "And may I remind you that you talk about his dick and balls way more than I do?"

Hiyori's face turned the color of watermelon flesh. "That's not - that's different! I ain't the one with intimate, first-hand knowledge of 'em!" She shuddered. "Ugh…so you're really not doin' this 'cause you've got one in the oven?"

"How many euphemisms do we have to go through before you believe me?"

"The hell does that even mean?"

Kaede sighed in exasperation. "For the last time, no, I'm. Not. Pregnant. I couldn't even get pregnant if I wanted to. Mandated contraceptive seal, on top of everything else. Had it since I became physically capable of conceiving."

"Yeah, but don't they let married women take those off?"

"Not without express permission. Balance of Souls and all that. And guess how likely I am to get permission for anything from Central."

"Fuck," Hiyori breathed. "I mean…do you want to have kids?"

"Never really thought about it," she admitted honestly. It was true: she'd never imagined herself in a position to be having children at all, even if she had a choice in the matter. Not just because Soul conception was a rare occurrence and a privilege usually reserved for the upper classes, but because it would mean that she actually had a partner who wanted to share their reishi with hers and create a whole new being with her.

That, even more so than Central 46's permission, had seemed an impossibility until very recently.

Would she have wanted children with Sousuke? Would he?

Kaede shut that whole line of thought down before she could be tempted to follow it. There was no use in asking the question, at least not yet. But maybe…someday…when things were different, when they made things different…

Until then, she decided it best not to even entertain the notion. Besides, even sealed, she had no idea what sort of effect her power might have on a pregnancy, or vice versa. For all she knew, the changes that came naturally in that state could trigger another catastrophe.

"Do you love him, at least?"

Kaede looked at Hiyori in surprise. "Hm?"

She rolled her eyes. "I said, do you love him? Is that why you're okay with marrying him like this?"

Blinking, Kaede at first didn't understand the question. "Love" had never really been part of the equation. Even when Sousuke had proposed the idea, it had been as a solution to a problem, a way to make sure that they could keep working together without having to sneak around. After all, it was perfectly normal and expected for a married couple to live together and occasionally take a private trip away from the Seireitei. "Love" didn't have to be a part of the arrangement for it to work.

But was it a part of their arrangement anyway?

She'd never really considered the question before. She treasured their time together - she always had, even before their first kiss. She yearned and ached for him when they were apart for too long; when they were together, she couldn't get enough of him. He gave her hope and purpose, showed her possibilities beyond what she'd dreamed of before. He had dreams and ambitions that she now shared, that she would do anything to see brought into reality. She couldn't imagine a future without him in it; even attempting to do so was physically painful.

"Yes," she said at last, her heart softening. "I think I do."

"Then I guess that's a decent reason, at least," Hiyori shrugged. Then her eyes narrowed dangerously. "But know this: if he does anything - anything - to make you cry, I'm gonna make him cry."

Kaede smiled, her whole body sagging with relief. "Duly noted."

The day she was to sign the marriage papers, Kaede found herself oddly unsettled. She couldn't make sense of it: there was no ceremony involved, nor would there be a banquet. All she was doing was meeting Sousuke and their chosen witnesses at a clerk's office and filling out a certificate. Easy.

She hadn't wanted a big to-do made out of it - Hiyori had to drag her out to a bar the night before to force her to celebrate at all. Sousuke had even offered to go through with a small, private ceremony, if only for appearances' sake. But she'd insisted that no, she preferred it this way, simple and straightforward. She looked forward to everything that would happen after this day; the day itself was of no consequence.

Yet that morning, she found herself nearly paralyzed. This was, for all intents and purposes, her wedding day - something touted as the "most important day of a woman's life" according to far too much literature. Even Soul Society, with its considerably more egalitarian views on gender roles, treated it like the ultimate goal for a woman. Kaede had never been enamoured of the idea of tying herself to another person like that. She was already Soul Society's property; she didn't want another supposed "master."

But that wasn't what this was. She and Sousuke were partners, and while marrying was mostly a matter of convenience, it didn't change the fact that she was choosing to share her existence with him. This, today…it was just paperwork.

So why was she nervous?

"Hey, it ain't too late, ya know," Hiyori teased when she admitted to why she was having a hard time getting herself ready. "Baldy-Shinji's still single."

"Ha, ha."

"So what're you waiting for? Get dressed so we can get some breakfast already. I'm starved!"

Kaede glanced at Hiyori, who'd already donned her freshly-acquired shihakusho. The black fabric stood out sharply against her pale, freckled skin, and Kubikiri Orochi sat proudly at her hip, the whole ensemble making her seem more mature than her Academy uniform had allowed.

"It looks good on you," Kaede said with a small smile.

Despite her impatience, Hiyori gave a snaggle-toothed grin in response, setting her fists on her hips. "Well, duh! An' if you're just scared that you won't look good for your hubby-to-be in yours, you seriously need your eyes checked, 'cause you'd look good in a paper bag. Now hurry up!"

Kaede looked at her own folded shihakusho. The uniform was a ritualistic item as much as it was a set of clothes, signifying her graduation and acceptance into the Gotei 13. For almost two centuries, that uniform had been her highest goal. Now, wearing it to publicly and officially declare her intention to be by Sousuke's side felt…wrong. With him, she wasn't a Shinigami, but a person, first and foremost. So why should she wear the very symbol of a system she intended to help him reform?

Maybe she should have agreed to a small ceremony, if only for the sake of a different wardrobe. But the traditional garb for a wedding was a white kimono, and no matter how elegantly it was made, to Kaede, the color reminded her too much of a prisoner's robe.

She chewed on her lip for another moment before reaching a decision. "Hiyori - could you help me with something? I can do it just fine by myself, but…"

Hiyori cocked her head, her large brown eyes peering curiously at her. "What's up?"

Kaede rose and pulled a large box away from her corner of their dorm room - a box she hadn't had occasion to open in quite some time. When she lifted the lid and lifted the maroon kimono from it, Hiyori sucked in an awed breath. "Whoa - where'd you get that?"

"It was a gift from Sousuke," Kaede answered honestly, laying the kimono out on her bed. "I want to wear it today…would you mind helping me get ready?"

A wide grin spread across Hiyori's freckled face. "Hell yeah! By the time we're outta here, ol' four-eyes ain't gonna know what hit him!"

In truth, it probably would have been easier for Kaede to just dress herself - Hiyori was about as familiar with tying obi knots as she'd been when she first received the garment. But having Hiyori involved, laughing with her as they haphazardly applied layer after layer of silk, arguing over how best to do her hair…there was something freeing about it, something Kaede hadn't realized she'd desperately wanted on this day. On her wedding day.

By the time they set out for the clerk's office, Kaede's anxiety had all but dissipated. All that fluttered in her stomach was nervous excitement over seeing Sousuke and what he would think of her choice in garment.

He was already waiting outside the bureaucratic offices, his back turned their way, posture straight and rigid. To Kaede's surprise, he too had elected not to wear the standard shihakusho. Instead, a familiar bronze haori rested across his squared shoulders.

Shinji, his witness, stood slouched in front of him, looking bored - but when he spied the girls coming up the path, he let out a low whistle. "Sousuke, you lucky bastard."

Kaede knew that Sousuke would put on his usual act of formality, tinged with hints of bashful vulnerability like he'd shown to Urahara. Whatever his reaction to her was, it would be part of the facade. But when he turned around, his face lighting up in a picture of subdued awe, she blushed all the same. His eyes stayed on hers as she approached, and the world around them fell away.

Almost.

"Seriously, how in all the realms of existence did this guy land a goddess li - ow!"

"Can it, Shinji! It's her freakin' wedding day an' you can't keep it in your pants for two minutes?! For fuck's sake, find someone else to creep on already!"

"Idiot, ya know it's a crime to attack a captain, right?"

"I still don't recognize YOU as a captain!"

While they bickered, Sousuke reached out and gently hooked his fingers in hers. "You look lovely," he said in a soft voice meant only for her.

Kaede dipped her head and squeezed his fingers, her tongue tied as tightly as a sailor's knot.

Shinji rubbed the bright red sandal print on his cheek. "We doin' this thing, or what?"

That's when Kaede realized there was someone missing. "Oh - I think we're waiting on Urahara-san…"

"Actually," came a faintly familiar, brazen female voice, "I'll be stepping in for Kisuke today!"

Suddenly there was another person at Kaede's side, draping an arm around her shoulder and grinning like a proud aunt. Her bright gold eyes glimmered with mischief, her pearly teeth stark against her rich, dark skin.

Kaede gaped at the purple-haired captain. "Yoruichi…taicho? Why…?"

"I'm here for your wedding, of course!" Yoruichi exclaimed, clapping her hard on the back. "Kisuke had an assignment that couldn't be avoided. Besides, I'm officially your captain, so it's now my duty to do this kinda stuff."

A bitter taste invaded Kaede's mouth. So ownership over her had passed so easily, then? For the past two hundred years, Urahara had been to every checkup and hearing without fail, had trained her, spent more time than he probably had to with her…

But, she supposed, she was no longer his responsibility.

"So whaddya say we get this show on the road?" Yoruichi prodded. "Then Hirako and I get to do our real duty of the day - getting the newlyweds thoroughly liquored up!"

Kaede let herself be ushered into the offices. As they waited on the clerk, she felt Sousuke's light touch on her hand.

"Are you all right?" he asked in a low voice.

She put on a smile to match his facade. Of course she was. Why wouldn't she be?

Kisuke made his way up the stairs from the Nest of Maggots with slow, heavy steps. It was never pleasant to have to deal with an inmate who'd completely lost their mind; they'd already been deemed "trash" by Soul Society, but when they became uncontrollable trash, they had to be taken out. He didn't have to do this one himself - his guards were well-trained and knew what needed doing - but today…he needed an excuse. It was a horrible one, to be sure, but it forced him out of his own head for a little while.

Outside, night was falling quickly. He made his way through the dim twilight, careful to be conscious of any unseen presences around him; his destination had remained secret for centuries now and he wasn't about to break that streak.

He passed a particular district of the Seireitei known for its social nightlife, and the sound of laughter almost made him hesitate. Should he…? No. Yoruichi was better at that sort of thing, anyway; he could leave that business to her.

The laughter rang in his ears the rest of the way to his destination - a cave hidden in the side of a cliff that was far larger on the inside than one would expect.

Artificial light brightened the interior, making the landscape within seem more like an airy desert than a cave. Training dummies were set up at odd intervals in one section, while another hosted an impossible-looking obstacle course. Kisuke sighed. Just like Yoruichi not to clean up after herself.

He headed past them both to an enclosed alcove on the far end of the cave. Inside, he'd amassed an impressive display (if he said so himself) of machinery from the latest of Soul Society technology to a few items of his own design. It was something of a hobby, tinkering with gadgets and gizmos that might also have some use to the greater good of Soul Society, though he was a bit shy still when it came to sharing his findings.

A while back, he thought he'd found something of a kindred spirit in an inmate at the Nest, someone with whom he could at least talk about his ideas - but he was disavowed of that the day he discovered Kurotsuchi Mayuri attempting to tinker with Kaede's seals. It had taken much of his considerable self-control to not eviscerate the man on the spot, especially after having to put down the poor victim himself. Since then, he'd only visited the inmate when absolutely necessary to assess the man's mental state, such as it was.

The scientist was brilliant, to be sure, but it was only because Kisuke had covered up his attempt with Kaede that he'd been taken to solitary rather than Sokyoku Hill. No matter what Central 46 might have said on the matter, Kisuke believed it better to preserve and nurture brilliant minds when possible. Maybe someday he could finally convince the old fogies to try rehabilitating the poor souls in the Nest, rather than leaving them to rot.

He sometimes wondered what the white-skinned scientist would make of what he was hiding in this cave. Sometimes it helped to have another pair of eyes on a project - though Kisuke doubted he'd ever bring another pair onto this one. Not yet, anyway.

He went beyond the whirring machines and jars of various preserved specimens to a locked safe hidden in a shady corner. Tessai had helped him create the Kido that bound this box, though even he didn't know what Kisuke had stowed inside.

It glowed faintly with dark energy when he opened the lid - a small sphere of pure, tightly swirling energy encased in a specially designed crystal container. The crystal was strong and neutrally charged, perfectly balanced to keep the energy from escaping, though lately it seemed that tiny vortex had finally started taking form.

"Well, look at you," Kisuke said softly, lifting the container from the box. He tried to only check on this little specimen every few months, fascinating though it was; there was little noticeable change day to day. Every now and then though, it made a little leap toward becoming something…new. "I have something for you."

From his pocket, Kisuke drew a small vial that glowed with a more brilliant light. The soul of a forgotten Shinigami who'd lost his mind in the Nest of Maggots…it may have belonged to a ruined man, but the gaseous, luminescent substance was still potent. Kisuke had managed to "shave" this bit from the man once he was too far gone to feel any more pain. It was a delicate process, one that few Shinigami knew was even possible, but Kisuke was far better informed than most.

Most people knew - or at least, believed - that when a Soul died in Soul Society, their essence became a part of the realm. While this was true of the majority of Souls, Shinigami were a slightly different case. Funeral rites for a Shinigami involved preserving the body as much as possible for at least a few days - one advantage to soul-bodies was that they didn't rot or decay as quickly as those of living Humans. At the funeral, the deceased's reishi was dedicated to the Soul King, or so the rites went.

In reality, as far as Kisuke understood at least, that reishi - and the particular essence unique to that Shinigami - became something else entirely, something that every Academy student wore on their hips or slung across their backs.

It wasn't common knowledge, nor even confidential knowledge. As far as Central 46 was concerned, this fact didn't even exist. After all, they wouldn't want just anyone learning how a Zanpakuto, the defining weapon of the Shinigami, was forged. Should that secret get out, anyone could make one with the right materials and skills. It was something on Kisuke's personal wish list of experiments to try someday, but he doubted he'd ever have the opportunity. The fact that he knew anything about asauchi creation was down to his luck of having been raised in one of the Five Great Noble Houses, his insatiable curiosity, and more luck in not getting caught snooping.

"Well," Kisuke addressed to the soul fragment in the vial, "sorry, but you won't be going to a heavenly forge. Please forgive my impertinence. I do think you'll still be of use here, though."

He carefully deposited the soul fragment into the crystal, where it rapidly orbited the marble-sized cosmic void before being sucked inside. For a second, the constant swirling within the little orb calmed…stabilized. Grabbing a small cloth from his robes, Kisuke tentatively plucked the orb from the container. It was solid - more solid than he'd ever seen or felt it before.

Considering that when he'd collected this energy two centuries ago from the site of the Catastrophe it had been little more than a chaotic mess of vapor-like reishi, an almost-solid orb was certainly progress.

Kisuke replaced the orb just as it started to lose its form again. He sighed. It seemed the little sphere needed a bit more time to mature into…whatever it was becoming. He locked it back into the safe and emerged from his workshop - only to come face to face with an irate, alcohol-flushed Yoruichi.

"You're an ass sometimes, you know that?"

Kisuke inwardly flinched at Yoruichi's sharp tone. "What? You didn't have fun?"

"It's not about whether I had fun, Kisuke," she admonished, poking him in the chest for emphasis. "You're the one who should've been there!"

"Aren't you the one usually telling me I need to take a step back and not get so attached?"

"It was her wedding day, you dolt! You could've stepped back after that!"

Kisuke scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Hey, she probably didn't even care all that - ow!"

Yoruichi had slapped him upside the head. "How is it someone with a brain like yours can be so goddamn dense? She definitely cared. Oh, she covered it up and acted like it didn't matter, but you better bet it did!"

Kisuke felt a pang in his chest. "What did you tell her?"

"Oh, I covered for you," Yoruichi seethed. "I told her you had an unavoidable assignment. What the hell else was I supposed to do when you didn't show up?"

"You really think she's mad at me?" he asked softly, shoulders sagging under an invisible weight.

"Probably."

"Good." Kisuke walked past his old friend, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Probably better that way."

"You think you're making a clean break, don't you? That you're making it easier on her by being the 'bad guy.' Well, it's kinda late for that."

Maybe. He didn't exactly think of himself as playing the "bad guy" - more just…doing what he was supposed to do all along. "She'll get over it. Besides, that Aizen fellow seems to make her happy. Might be nice for her to have someone entirely on her side for a change."

He didn't bring up the fact that every time he thought of the man Kaede chose to marry, he felt a pinprick of wrongness pierce his gut. It was probably nothing, anyway. Kisuke trusted his gut when it came to investigating suspicious figures within the Seireitei, but in this case…he was too close. Too personally involved.

He had to step back - otherwise, if there was something to worry about, he'd never be able to see it clearly.

Behind him, Yoruichi gave a heavy sigh. "Men and their stunted emotions, I swear…look, I'll keep an eye on her. But I'm not going to coddle her. Whether she succeeds or fails in the Corps is up to her."

"Couldn't agree more," he answered flatly, walking away. He lifted his hand in a good-bye wave. "I dunno about you, but I'm beat. Good night, Yoruichi."

He didn't turn around. If he had, she'd have seen the sadness and worry lining his face and dulling his eyes.

After an afternoon of trying - and mostly failing - to refuse the copious amounts of sake both Yoruichi and Shinji pushed on them, Kaede and Sousuke were left to spend the night together in a small, private inn. They didn't have their own shared living quarters yet; Sousuke would be taking care of that while Kaede went through her mandatory training period at Division Two's barracks. The next couple of days would be the only ones they'd have together for the next year.

As Sousuke slid the screen door of their room shut, Kaede sank onto the floor. The innkeepers had laid out their bedding for them; one poke of the futon confirmed that it was the softest she'd ever experienced in her life.

This was her wedding night. She had no fear over what was about to happen; quite the contrary.

"Guess they knew what we'll be doing tonight," Kaede quipped - though her heart wasn't quite in it. "How many newlyweds do you think come through here? Actually, nevermind - not something I want to think too hard about."

"You seem to have other things on your mind," Sousuke commented, lighting a small lamp in the corner. The paper filtered the light into a warm glow.

"Probably just the sake doing something to my head," Kaede said, though she felt perfectly normal. "I've never drunk so much before…or at all, come to think of it…"

"Of course," Sousuke said mildly. "It's nothing to do with Urahara-san's absence today."

Bristling, Kaede looked away. "It doesn't matter. He's not in charge of me anymore."

"It's natural to be affected. To be honest, I was a little surprised, myself."

"Can we not talk about Urahara right now?" she snapped. "I told you, it doesn't matter. He doesn't matter," she added under her breath. Sure, she'd felt a bit hurt at first, but it wasn't like he'd promised to be there or anything. She'd just expected him to be, because he'd been at pretty much every other major event in her life so far. Granted, he'd been obligated to be at those, since they'd all been checkups or seal-related…

No. She was done - done worrying about what Urahara Kisuke thought, done with worrying about anyone or anything else right now.

Standing, Kaede went to Sousuke and slid her hands up his chest. "I don't want to think about him, or anyone else. Not tonight. I only want to think about us."

Sousuke's lips curled into a dark smile. "That can be arranged…but first, I have something for you. I suppose you could call it a wedding gift."

"Oh?" Her curiosity piqued, and she automatically started looking around the room - only to hear a low chuckle.

"Not here," he said, taking her chin to turn her attention back to him. He kissed her, soft and sensual and leaving her wanting more. "Come."

Kaede was about to retort that "coming" was on the top of her to-do list for the evening, but she stayed her tongue as Sousuke led her to the door. "Where are we going?"

His sinful lips remained curled as he replied, "Somewhere better suited for our wedding night. Oh - and bring your asauchi."

Better suited than an inn? As far as she knew, they didn't have a house or apartment of their own yet. And why on earth would she need a sword? "What about-"

"The innkeepers know better than to disturb a newlywed couple," Sousuke said, anticipating her question. "And I have them under Kyoka Suigetsu's thrall, just in case. If anyone else is watching, all they will see is the dim light of a candle slowly going out over the night."

Kaede had long ago learned to trust him when it came to getting around Soul Society undetected. Still, her nerves prickled as she strapped her sheathed sword around her waist and followed him to a corner of the Seireitei that she didn't recognize.

"It's an old training ground," he explained when they reached the forested area. "Overgrown and abandoned due to an overabundance of ambient reishi. The atmosphere has a tendency to unbalance most Shinigami's reiatsu, so it hasn't been used in centuries. The Visual Surveillance Department doesn't bother to monitor it closely either - they'd be inundated with false reports if they did."

"Okay," Kaede said slowly, stepping over a log. "So it's a blind spot…but why are we here right now?" Somehow, she couldn't picture Sousuke wanting to consummate their marriage in the tangled undergrowth.

"We're here," Sousuke answered, "because I believe I have found a way to adjust your seals and stabilize your reiatsu."

Kaede stopped in her tracks, blanching as though she'd just been hit with a current of icy water. "No. I told you-"

"You said 'whatever it takes,'" he reminded her coolly. "And I didn't say 'weaken' or 'undo' - I said adjust. I've been studying the Kido used-"

"How? You never told me you found anything."

"Your check-ups," he said. "I sat in on them in the observation room so I could learn more about your seals."

Kaede stared at him in disbelief. She didn't bother asking how he'd pulled that off - the answer was obvious. "How long…? Why didn't you tell me?"

"So that you wouldn't be tempted to act any differently during them. Urahara-san in particular is quite perceptive; I didn't want to risk him noticing anything was different."

But if he'd been in the observation room with Urahara, that meant… "Urahara-san…is under Kanzen Saimin?"

"As are a few members of Central 46," he confirmed. "Not enough to make any significant rulings regarding you, but enough that I can influence what they see at your appointments. For the time being, I've simply been hiding myself from their senses."

Kaede held up her hands to stop him as she took this in. He'd been at her check-ups, and she hadn't known. That he had some of the judges under hypnosis didn't surprise her, but Urahara? That was a feat she found difficult to imagine. She couldn't remember the last time she'd truly gotten anything past Urahara's notice.

Was Sousuke's ability really that powerful?

"How long has Urahara-san been…?"

"Do you remember when you first touched Kyoka Suigetsu?"

Kaede nodded, and then her eyes widened. That had been back in her first year at the Academy! She still remembered how it felt to touch that blade; what she didn't recall was hearing Sousuke give a command to his Zanpakuto.

"He'd been following you," Sousuke said softly. "I wasn't certain it was him at the time, but it stood to reason that you were being watched so soon after a checkup, so I took a precaution."

"He was following me back then?" she whispered.

"Does that surprise you?"

It shouldn't have; after all, Urahara was her primary warden. It was his responsibility to keep an eye on "dangerous elements" both in and out of the Nest. How often had he tailed her since she started the Academy? Or did he have others do it for him?

Then the color drained from her face as she realized just how close Urahara had been to overhearing everything Sousuke said that day. If Sousuke hadn't taken that precaution, they wouldn't be standing here together right now. He'd be in the Nest of Maggots at best, and she…she wasn't sure what would have happened to her.

"How did you do it?" she asked, her throat dry.

"One only needs to see Kyoka Suigetsu's release once," Sousuke answered. "From that point on, I can influence all five senses, anytime, anywhere. It helps if I am present to control the scenario, of course."

Helpful, but probably not necessary, going by his choice of phrase. The possibilities for such an ability were frighteningly staggering. And if a person only had to be exposed to it once…her stomach lurched as she recalled his demonstration during a Captains' visit to the Academy.

She hesitated to ask - after all, he could make himself seem as honest as a bowl of rice if he wanted to. But she wanted - needed - to see how he would answer. "Am I under its influence?"

"What do you-"

"No," she stopped him. "Direct answer this time, please."

Sousuke let out a small sigh. "No, you are not. I released its hold on you after you presented your theory of how it worked. Even before that, the only time you were truly influenced by it was at the Captains' visit, along with everyone else."

Could she believe him?

She wanted to. The idea that he might have been playing her this whole time had crossed her mind before, and each time it did was more painful than the last. She wished she could simply have faith in him, especially with everything he'd done for her.

No - it wasn't a matter of whether she could believe him. That was the wrong question, the wrong approach. However he might feel about her, whatever reasons he had for going so far as to marry her, Sousuke was an opportunist. The better question was: What was the advantage to him of not having her under hypnosis?

Trust.

If he'd tricked her often and she realized it, her trust in him would be completely shattered. Furthermore, if his intention had been to keep her ignorant, he wouldn't even entertain this conversation. It would be far easier for him to make her hear and see whatever was necessary for her to believe him.

Instead, he was letting her see behind the veil yet again. If anything, he was putting faith in her to not turn away - no, that wasn't right. "Faith" wasn't something Sousuke ascribed to. Like everything, this was a calculated risk.

So what was his desired reward?

"You said you figured out how to adjust the seals," she ventured, wrapping her hands around her forearms. Every part of her rebelled against even entertaining this, but… "What do you mean, exactly?"

"For now, just an examination," he assured her. "To make sure I can access them as Tessai-san does. I need a better look at the inner workings of the Kido before we try any adjustments."

Her fingers tightened, nails biting into her skin. "That's all?"

"That's all. I won't do anything more until I am certain that I fully understand the Kido involved."

Kaede hesitated, the unblinking yellow eyes of Kurotsuchi Mayuri imprinted on her memory. Sousuke wasn't Mayuri, she told herself. The white-skinned psycho had been driven by sadistic curiosity; Sousuke…he'd told her time and time again that he wanted to help her, and so far, his actions supported his words. Besides, he had plenty of incentive to be careful in this: his ambitions would amount to nothing if he made a single mistake.

She tried not to think too hard about the consequences of such a mistake.

She took a deep breath and forced her fingers to loosen around her arms. "Okay…okay. Just…are you sure we should do this here? It's a blind spot, but if something happens…"

"Oh, I didn't mean here. This is just the most convenient exit point from Soul Society."

Before she could ask what he meant by that, Sousuke lifted his hand and chanted something under his breath. As Kaede watched, a set of glowing gates appeared in midair before them. "Is that -"

"A Senkaimon," Sousuke supplied, turning to her with that familiar, secretive smile. "One that will not be detected thanks to that reishi imbalance I mentioned."

Kaede shook her head. Getting into Soul Society from the Human World was a skill every Shinigami learned, but the same was not true of the reverse route. This should have been impossible for one person. Senkaimon creation was a highly advanced skill that only members of the Kido Corps and the Captain-Commander were privileged to learn. Not only that, but Kaede was pretty sure that it usually took at least two Kido Corps members to stabilize the gateway.

Sousuke had just created one on his own.

"How did you…?"

"I've made a bit of a study of how to get in and out of Soul Society undetected," he said in a mild tone. "Call it a hobby."

While she didn't put such a thing past him, it seemed an understatement to call creating a gateway between worlds a "hobby."

He stepped through the gate and beckoned her to follow. She did so, looking anxiously over her shoulder as the gate closed behind them.

It was evening when they stepped out into the Human World, the setting sun turning the surrounding jungle a bright orange. The air was thick with oppressive humidity and the buzzing of crepuscular insects; through the overgrown vines, Kaede spied what looked like the ruins of a stone structure.

"What is this place?" she asked, turning in place to take in their surroundings. The ruins seemed to be a pair of stone pillars, or perhaps the remains of a large archway, worn down by time and overtaken by nature.

"An ancient ritual site," Sousuke answered, "from thousands of years ago, back when humans were more in tune with the spiritual world around them. At one point, it was the most prominent Jureichi in the Human World; to this day, it tends to produce benign spiritual anomalies often enough that Soul Society pays little attention to it."

Kaede frowned at him. "That's fascinating and all, but won't a couple of Shinigami be more noticeable here?"

"Oh, this isn't our final destination, either." He took her hands in his. "I will not tell you to trust my word about Kyoka Suigetsu; anything I say about that could be construed in a multitude of ways. However…I will ask you to have faith in my skills for this."

He smiled then and brushed a lock of hair away from her face. "As for your concerns over any loss of control…that's why I've also found the perfect place for us to do this."

"Where-"

She cut herself off when Sousuke leaped up, landing on what appeared to be a thick branch protruding from one of the pillars. Looking more closely, she realized that it wasn't a branch at all, but a wooden post that jutted out parallel to the ground - something that had clearly been placed there far more recently, going by its lack of rot. The other pillar sported a twin post.

Kaede began to suspect that this place wasn't quite as "abandoned" as it seemed - and then she heard Sousuke chanting.

"Here in my right hand, the stone that connects the worlds; in my left hand, the blade that binds existence. The shepherd with black hair; the chair of the noose. I strike the ibis when the clouds gather."

Pale blue energy traveled across the wooden post and shot over to the opposite pillar, forming a tightrope of spiritual power between them. Then the string ripped the air open, like an empty eye opening onto a dark void that didn't belong in this reality. Kaede knew this feeling, though she'd only experienced it once - a tearing in the fabric of the universe, opening onto a whisper of chaos.

"We could have done this directly from Soul Society," Sousuke commented, his tone as casual as if discussing the weather. Something about how easily he'd done all of this made her wonder how often he'd done this before. "But even in that old training ground, it would have drawn too much attention." He turned and held out his hand to her. "Come. I'll set the path for us, since your reiatsu control tends to fluctuate."

That wasn't what worried her, but Kaede couldn't find the words to speak. She simply stared at the gaping maw and the void within it, simultaneously repulsed on a visceral level and overcome by the strangest sensation that something inside was beckoning to her.

"This is our chance," Sousuke said, seeing her hesitation. "Your chance to take back what is rightfully yours, piece by piece. That is what I want to give you: the chance to know yourself fully and truly for the first time."

Kaede tore her eyes away from the portal. Sousuke appeared as calm and confident as ever, beckoning to her with his steady gaze. She wasn't sure about this…but she was sure about him, and she was sure that if she didn't do something to change her own fate, she'd be stuck forever as Soul Society's property.

She took his hand and followed him into the tear.

Stepping into the void was like walking into a hurricane. Turbulent gusts of reishi whipped around them, kept at bay by Sousuke's own energy as he formed a path for them. Kaede kept hold of his hand, letting him lead her like a child through the chaos.

Then the gale abruptly stopped, replaced by a silent stillness so complete that for a second, Kaede thought she'd gone deaf. Then she heard Sousuke's voice and she knew that they'd merely come out the other side to a world of black and white.

"Welcome to Hueco Mundo."

So, to summarize:

- Hiyori doesn't like change
- Kaede's not preggers
- Kisuke has poor judgment when it comes to personal stuff
- Yoruichi is everyone's favorite aunt

I think that's the important stuff. Oh, and we saw an in-progress Hogyoku (along with a hint of how Kisuke made it…or perhaps we should say, found it? Both seem apt descriptions). And…um…what else…

Oh yeah. HUECO MUNDO?!

Next Time: First Taste. A long-awaited reveal…a power unleashed…and a wedding night to go down in legend. Think of it as a season finale.

Stay Tuned.